Jewish Law in Gentile Churches

Markus Bockmuehl teaches biblical and early Christian studies in the University of Oxford, UK, where he is Dean Ireland’s Professor and a Fellow of Keble College. His approach stresses the symbioses of history with theology, of Christianity alongside Judaism, and of exegesis in and as reception especially of the first three Christian centuries. Among his authored books are Seeing the Word: Refocusing New Testament Study (2006), Simon Peter in Scripture and Memory (2012), and Ancient Apocryphal Gospels (2017). Recent publications also include Creation ex Nihilo (2018, ed. with Gary A. Anderson), Austin Farrer (2020, ed. with Stephen Platten), and the English translation of Wolfram Kinzig’s Christian Persecution in Antiquity (2021).

'Markus Bockmuehl has written a very important book. He shows with great learning in Christian and Jewish primary sources and the vast secondary literature how much the issue of law lies at the heart of Early Christian thought. He persuasively argues that Early Christianity remained much closer to ancient Jewish nomianism than many have believed. A contemporary benefit of this book is that it can be an excellent resource in making the issue of law itself the commonality needed for a new and positive Jewish-Christian relationship in the present.' Professor David Novak, University of Toronto 'Here is a bold argument: that Christianity staked its claim within Graeco-Roman culture on the basis of the Torah's address of Gentiles as Gentiles. In order to make his case, Dr Bockmuehl deftly draws on his expertise in both Judaic and Christian literature. By moving beyond the tight circle of the canonical New Testament alone, he invites us into the genuine world of early Christianity, where ethics and purity were not abstract concerns, but daily issues.' Professor Bruce Chilton, Bard College 'This is an outstanding study of a neglected topic. Dr Bockmuehl encourages his readers to consider from new perspectives major ethical issues and familiar New Testament passages. This lively book will spark off keen discussion among a wide readership. I shall continue to learn a great deal from it.' Professor Graham Stanton, University of Cambridge

• Part One: Christianity in the Land of IsraelHalakhah and Ethics in the Jesus TraditionMatthew's Divorce Texts in the Light of Pre-Rabbinic Jewish Law'Let the Dead Bury Their Dead': Jesus and the Law RevisitedJames the Just and AntiochPart Two: Jewish and Christian Ethics for GentilesNatural Law in Second Temple JudaismNatural Law in the New TestamentThe Noachide Commandments and New Testament EthicsPart Three: The Development of Public EthicsThe Beginning of Public EthicsJewish and Christian Public Ethics in the Early Roman Empire